It's so cute I may die

Maplestory2 is the sequel to the Nexon game Maplestory which came out back in 2003. I will admit that the nostalgia factor plays heavily into my lust for the game. While it is its own thing there are elements of the first game incorporated in such as the music and cities.

The big difference between the two is the art style. Maplestory2 is a 3d blocky game like other popular games that have been in style. At first I was a bit iffy on it but I've been playing the game for a week and am still enjoying it.

Leveling up is quick. You can gain levels by completing quests, killing monsters, or learning a life skill. The main quest in particular gives you a lot of experience so you are able to play through the entire story line without having to stop and grind for levels. The life skills are also pretty good for this. If you have an "auto-(performing,fishing,harvesting,etc)" You can set you character up to work on their skill in a safe place and do other things for a short period of time while they work.

Combat is both easy and challenging. I never find fighting monsters to be frustrating but it can take some time depending on their level versus your own. The actual controls are simple with the keybinds displayed clearly at the bottom on the screen. The only problem I have in this category is aim. The character I play is an Archer so aim is very important. The world is built on a diagonal so you're constantly fiddling around to get your character to face the correct direction in a fight. This becomes problematic in boss fights where the boss moves around their area constantly. Outside of battle the movement controls aren't awful but it does take a bit of getting use to.

The other big problem right now is the lag. Maplestory2 didn't seem to expect the influx of people to play within the first week and during certain times of the day it can become unplayable, especially when your internet isn't the most amazing.

The game is free to play and doesn't take too much time to download or too much space. There are paid elements to the game but as far as I can tell they are all cosmetic and not needed to enjoy the game to the fullest.

One of my favorite additions to the game is the permorning. You are gifted a piano early into the game that you can play basically anywhere. There are other instruments you can buy or win from events. The best part is the blank sheet music. It took me a bit of searching to find how to create songs/copy songs that others have premade but I'm satisfied.

Overall I've been enjoying myself and getting immersed in the story. I plan to continue playing. There's still much more content for me to explore.